The present invention relates to a display device including a plurality of indicators.
As shown in FIG. 4, there is a display device for vehicle which stores in a housing 1, indicating instruments 2 (indicators) such as a speedometer and a tachometer, and a light emitting type indicator 3 (indicator) such as a fluorescent character display tube. The display board 4 for the indicating instruments 2 has a light shielding portion printed in black for example except for an indicator portion (scales and numbers) in a translucent substrate, and a pointer 5 points a scale to indicate the speed of a vehicle or the engine speed. A light source 6 such as a bulb is provided at the back of the display board 4, and the light source 6 is directed to the indicator portion in the display board 4 for transmitted illumination. A light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided at the base of the pointer 5 and a pointing portion 5a emits light. There is a semi-transmitting cover 7 in the front of the housing 1 to protect the indicators 2 and 3. There is a semi-transmitting reflection board 8 between the indicating instrument 2 and the cover 7, and the indication light L of the light emitting type indicator 3 is reflected upon the semi-transmitting reflection board 8 to reach the viewer. The light emitting type indicator 3 indicates the time in numerical digits, and the viewer can see the virtual image 9 of the time indication with the eye at a distance approximately the same as that to the display board 4. Note however that since the transmittance of the semi-transmitting reflection board 8 is about 50%, and the transmittance of the cover 7 is about 20%, the indicating instruments 2 looks dim. More specifically, the light of the indicating instruments 2 (the light of the pointing portion 5a and the indicator portion at the display board 4) is reduced to about 10% as it is transmitted through the semi-transmitting reflection board 8 and the cover 7.
According to the present invention, a display device capable of indicating a virtual image and preventing the brightness of the indicators (indicating instruments) from being extremely lowered is provided.
An indicating instrument (first indicator 15) includes a display board 21, a pointer 24 to point the display board 21, a light source 22 to subject the display board 21 to transmitted illumination, and pointer driving means 25 to drive the pointer 24. A housing 10 stores the first indicator 15, a second indicator 17 formed of a first light emitting type indicator, and a third indicator 16 formed of a second light emitting type indicator.
First indication light L1 projected by the second indicator 17 is reflected upon a semi-transmitting reflection board 20 to reach the viewer. Second indication light L2 projected by the third indicator 16 is transmitted through the semi-transmitting reflection board 20 to reach the viewer. Light by the first indicator 15 reaches the viewer without being transmitted through the semi-transmitting reflection board 20. In other words, the display device has such a structure that the viewer views the second indicator 17 reflected upon the semi-transmitting reflection board 20, the third indicator 16 through the semi-transmitting reflection board 20, and the first indicator 15 not through the semi-transmitting reflection board 20.